Electromechanical actuator

ABSTRACT

An electromechanical actuator includes a base part and an oscillation resonator having the shape of a rod. The electromechanical actuator further includes amount for mounting the oscillation resonator to the base part. The mount is configured to bear the oscillation resonator so as to be rotatable around an axis of the oscillation resonator rod relative to the base part. A driver member is mechanically coupled to the oscillation resonator. A slider or a rotator is configured to be moved by the driver member when the oscillation resonator is excited.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/975,553, filed on Dec. 18, 2015, entitled“ELECTROMECHANICAL ACTUATOR”, which claims priority to European PatentApplication 14199202.4, filed on Dec. 19, 2014, and both U.S.application Ser. No. 14/975,553 and European Patent Application14199202.4 are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to an electromechanical actuator and a method ofmoving an object relative to a base part.

BACKGROUND

Utilizing the piezoelectric effect for displacing or moving an object iswell known in the art. In particular, electromechanical actuators may bedesigned as vibrators to be used as a driver in micromotors orultrasound motors. Such piezoelectric motors may be used in manyapplications, in particular if small dimensions, high movement speed orspecific environmental conditions (e.g. vacuum, high or low temperature,lubricant-free operation, etc.) are to be met.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of embodiments. The drawings illustrate embodiments andtogether with the description serve to explain principles ofembodiments. Other embodiments and many of the intended advantages ofembodiments will be readily appreciated as they become better understoodby reference to the following description. The elements of the drawingsare not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like referencenumerals designate corresponding similar parts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an oscillation resonator having the formof a square cross sectional rod in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an oscillation resonator having the formof a cylindrical rod in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a control unit and an exemplaryelectrode configuration and wiring of an oscillation resonator inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the oscillation resonators ofFIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, when activated.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the trajectory of the displacement at Xand Y of FIG. 4A, when the left portion of the oscillation resonator isactivated.

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the trajectory of the displacement at Xand Y of FIG. 4A, when the right portion of the oscillation resonator isactivated.

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a motional resonance peak experienced inthe 3D asymmetrical vibrational mode of the oscillation resonator ofFIG. 4A.

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating an impedance resonance curve experiencedin the 3D asymmetrical vibrational mode of the oscillation resonator ofFIG. 4A.

FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the resonance frequency versus the lengthof the oscillation resonator as experienced in the 3D asymmetricalvibrational mode of the oscillation resonator of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the relative displacement of a firstlongitudinal rod side face and the relative displacement of a secondlongitudinal rod side face oriented perpendicular to the first one inthe 3D asymmetrical vibrational mode of an oscillation resonator asdepicted in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating the relative displacement of a firstlongitudinal rod side face and the relative displacement of a secondlongitudinal rod side face oriented perpendicular to the first one inthe 2D asymmetrical vibrational mode of the same oscillation resonatoras shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating the resonance frequencies for the 3Dasymmetrical vibrational mode and the 2D asymmetrical vibrational mode,respectively, versus the dimensional factor W/H, wherein W is the widthdimension and H is the height dimension of an oscillation resonator rod.

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary electromechanicalactuator designed as a piezoelectric motor having a base part, anoscillation resonator, a driver member and a slider.

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary electromechanicalactuator for explanation of the inertial motion principle.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an exemplary electromechanical actuatorin accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top”,“bottom”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, “lower”, etc., is used withreference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. Becausecomponents of embodiments can be positioned in a number of differentorientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes ofillustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thefollowing detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in alimiting sense.

It is to be understood that the features of the various exemplaryembodiments described herein may be combined with each other, unlessspecifically noted otherwise.

As employed in this specification, the terms “mounted”, “attached”,“connected”, “coupled” and/or “electrically connected/electricallycoupled” are not meant to mean that the elements or layers must directlybe contacted together; intervening elements or layers may be providedbetween the “mounted”, “attached”, “connected”, “coupled” and/or“electrically connected/electrically coupled” elements, respectively.However, in accordance with the disclosure, the above-mentioned termsmay, optionally, also have the specific meaning that the elements orlayers are directly contacted together, i.e. that no interveningelements or layers are provided between the “mounted”, “attached”,“connected”, “coupled” and/or “electrically connected/electricallycoupled” elements, respectively.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an exemplary electromechanical actuatorillustrating a self-alignment mount in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary electromechanicalactuator similar to the one shown in FIG. 16.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

It may be an object to provide a simple, robust and powerfulelectromechanical actuator with high versatility. In particular, it maybe an object to provide an electromechanical actuator configured todrive an object via frictional impact with high precision andrepeatability.

In accordance with one embodiment, an electromechanical actuator maycomprise an oscillation resonator having the shape of a rod, theoscillation resonator being divided by a dividing plane that is notparallel to the longitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator intoa first resonator portion and a second resonator portion. At least thefirst resonator portion comprises electromechanical means which, whenactivated, are configured to generate a 3-dimensional acoustic bulk wavewith a mode shape asymmetric with respect to the dividing plane.

Thus, the first resonator portion, when activated, forms an asymmetricgenerator of an asymmetric 3-dimensional vibrational elastic (i.e.acoustic) standing wave which has at least one resonance frequency thatdeforms the oscillation resonator such that mechanical energy may betransferred to an object to be moved. The term asymmetric refers to thedividing plane dividing the oscillation resonator into the first andsecond resonator portions.

The generation of a 3-dimensional vibrational wave (also referred to inthe following as 3D wave) may have several advantages over thegeneration of a 2-dimensional vibrational wave (in the following alsoreferred to as 2D wave) for various applications of oscillationresonators. One advantage is that the oscillation resonator may have theshape of a rod, whereas a 2-dimensional oscillation resonatornecessitates the shape of a plate. As a rod may have a higher degree ofsymmetry than a plate (e.g. may have four or more symmetry axis orientedperpendicular to the longitudinal axis), the geometry of a rod mayprovide better pre-conditions for mounting the oscillating resonator toa base part and/or for impulse transfer from the oscillation resonatorto an object to be moved. Further, as will be better understood in thefollowing, some applications of 3-dimensional wave oscillationresonators such as, e.g., application which rely on the generation of aradially symmetric wave (i.e. a “breathing” mode of the oscillationresonator) are not available by 2-dimensional wave oscillationresonators.

According to one embodiment, the second resonator portion also compriseselectromechanical means, and the electromechanical means of the firstand second resonator portions are configured to be activatedindependently from each other. This implementation may cause theresonator to generate and sustain two asymmetric 3-dimensionalvibrational standing waves. These two asymmetric 3-dimensionalvibrational standing waves, if selectively activated, may be used toreverse the direction of motion of an object to be moved.

By way of example, the rod-shaped oscillation resonator may be of across section which may be nearly or completely a circular disc or aregular polygon, in particular a square. These and other resonatorgeometries allow the generation of 3-dimensional bulk waves. In contrastto 2-dimensional waves, the 3-dimensional bulk waves generated in theoscillation resonator at resonance frequency may be nearly or completelyradially symmetric in any cross section normal to the longitudinaldirection of the oscillation resonator.

More specifically, according to one embodiment, the oscillationresonator may have a length L, a first lateral dimension W and a secondlateral dimension H in a direction perpendicular to the first lateraldimension W. The first lateral dimension W and the second lateraldimension H may be different from each other by equal to or less than15%, 10%, 5% or 0%. The smaller the difference between H and W, thestronger is the resonance and the greater is the material displacement(amplitude) at resonance in the oscillation resonator.

According to one embodiment, L is different from W+H by equal to or lessthan 30%, 15%, 10%, 5% or 0%. In particular, a specific choice may beL=2 W with W=H.

According to one embodiment, the first resonator portion has a lengthL1, a first lateral dimension W1 and a second lateral dimension H1 in adirection perpendicular to the first lateral dimension W1, and thesecond resonator portion has a length L2, a first lateral dimension W2and a second lateral dimension H2 in a direction perpendicular to thefirst lateral dimension W2, wherein L1, L2 and/or W1, W2 and/or H1, H2are different from each other by equal to or less than 30%, 15%, 10%, 5%or 0%.

According to one embodiment, the electromechanical means of the firstresonator portion comprises a first piezoelectric stack having firstelectrode layers and first piezoelectric layers disposed therebetween,wherein a polarization vector of a first piezoelectric layer has acomponent extending in the longitudinal direction of the oscillationresonator. Using a piezoelectric stack for the first resonator portionallows to generate longitudinal and lateral displacements with highamplitude during the vibrational 3D mode of operation, while keeping theexcitation voltage at moderate level. Low excitation voltage isadvantageous for many reasons. Byway of example, low excitation voltagereduces the risk of electrical sparkovers and therefore increases therange of potential applications.

It is to be noted that throughout this specification the meaning of “aquantity A is different from a quantity B by equal to or less than P %”is that 2|A−B|/(A+B)≤P/100.

In one embodiment the electromechanical means of the second resonatorportion comprises a second piezoelectric stack having second electrodelayers and second piezoelectric layers disposed therebetween, apolarization vector of a second piezoelectric layer has a componentextending in the longitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator,the electrode layers of the first piezoelectric stack and the electrodelayers of the second piezoelectric stack each comprise a first group ofelectrode layers and a second group of electrode layers, the electrodelayers of the first group and the second group are interlaced, theelectrode layers of the first groups are electrically interconnected andthe electrode layers of the second groups are electrically separated andconfigured to be individually excited. That way, by individuallyexciting the second group electrode layers of the first piezoelectricstack and the second group electrode layers of the second piezoelectricstack, the first resonator portion and the second resonator portion isactivated to function as an asymmetric 3D wave generator, respectively.

It is further possible that the oscillation resonator is configured togenerate a controllable non-oscillating displacement of the first and/orsecond resonator portion in the longitudinal direction of the firstand/or second resonator portion when activated in a non-oscillatingcondition. This non-vibrational mode allows the electromechanicalactuator to precisely adjust a final position of an object, e.g. aslider, to a target position after the long range movement in thevibrational mode has been completed.

The electromechanical actuator may further comprise a driver membermechanically coupled to the oscillation resonator and a slider orrotator configured to be moved by the driver member when the oscillationresonator is excited. That way, the 3-dimensional bulk standing wavegenerated in the oscillation resonator may be used to linearly displacea slider or to rotate a rotator via the driver member which transfers aspecific component of the vibrational impulse of the oscillationresonator to the slider or rotator, respectively.

The driver member may be configured to engage with a friction surface ofthe slider or the rotator via a frictional contact. The frictionalcontact may be used to transform the vibrational motion into a linearmotion or into a rotation. In contrast to a 2-dimensional waveoscillation resonator, which has to be of the shape of a plate where thedriver member has to be located at the (small) thickness dimension ofthe plate, here the driver member may, e.g., be located at any of thelongitudinal rod faces and thus may provide for a substantial greaterfrictional contact area than in the 2D wave case.

In one embodiment, the friction surface of the slider or rotator may bespring-loaded to control the frictional contact between the drivermember and the friction surface. The spring, e.g. a leaf spring, may beused to control the pressure and/or the orientation between the frictionsurface and the driver member which is motionally coupled to theoscillation resonator.

The electromechanical actuator may further comprise a base part and amount for mounting the oscillation resonator to the base part, whereinthe mount is configured to bear the oscillation resonator so as to berotatable around an axis of the rod relative to the base part. That way,a positioning mount may be established which is capable to self-alignthe frictional contact between the driver member coupled to theoscillation resonator and the friction surface at the slider or rotator.This self-alignment may greatly improve the stability andreproducibility of the frictional contact and may therefore reduceuneven wear or abrasion and extend lifetime duration or maintenanceintervals of the electromechanical actuator.

According to one aspect, a method of moving an object relative to a basepart is disclosed. The method may comprise providing an oscillationresonator having the shape of a rod, the oscillation resonator beingdivided by a dividing plane that is not parallel to the longitudinaldirection of the oscillation resonator into a first resonator portionand a second resonator portion. The method may further compriseactivating the electromechanical means so as to generate a 3-dimensionalacoustic bulk wave with a mode shape asymmetric with respect to thedividing plane. That way, a low-maintenance and robust method of movingan object with a high degree of precision, repeatability and having ahigh potential of miniaturization is provided.

FIG. 1 illustrates by way of example an electromechanical actuator 100.The electromechanical actuator 100 comprises an oscillation resonator 10having the shape of a rod with length L, width W and height H. Theoscillation resonator 10 may be divided by a dividing plane 15 into afirst resonator portion 10A lying, in FIG. 1, in front of the dividingplane 15 and a second resonator portion 10B lying, in FIG. 1, behind thedividing plane 15.

The dividing plane 15 is not parallel to the longitudinal direction oraxis X of the oscillation resonator 10. In particular, the dividingplane 15 may be normal to X. Further, the dividing plane 15 may, e.g.,be a symmetry plane, i.e. the first resonator portion 10A may beidentical with the second resonator portion 10B.

The first resonator portion 10A may have a length L1 and the secondresonator portion 10B may have a length L2, with L1+L2=L. The first andsecond resonator portions 10A, 10B each may have the shape of a rod.Byway of example, the first resonator portion 10A may have a width W1and the second resonator portion 10B may have a width W2, wherein thespecific case W1=W2=W is depicted in FIG. 1 by way of example. Further,the first resonator portion 10A may have a height H1 and the secondresonator portion 10B may have a height H2, wherein the specific caseH1=H2=H is depicted in FIG. 1 by way of example.

At least one of the resonator portions 10A, 10B may comprise anelectromechanical means which, when activated, is configured to generatean elastic standing bulk wave with a mode shape asymmetric with respectto the dividing plane 15. As will be explained further below, adirectional motion may be derived by making use of this symmetrybreaking. The longitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator 10 isparallel to the central axis X of the rod-shaped oscillation resonator10.

In the following, by way of example and without restriction ofgenerality, both resonator portions 10A and 10B are exemplified to beequipped with electromechanical means. Further, by way of example andwithout restriction of generality, the electromechanical means areexemplified by piezoelectric multilayer elements, so-calledpiezoelectric stacks 20. Piezoelectric stacks 20 are commerciallyavailable in the art.

The electromechanical actuator 100 may further comprise a driver member40. The driver member 40 may be a friction element configured to engagewith a frictional surface (not shown) of an object (not shown) to bemoved. The driver member 40 may be made of a hard, wear-resistantmaterial such as, e.g., a ceramic or a carbide material. The drivermember 40 may protrude out from one side face (e.g. the side facedefined by the height dimension H of the oscillation resonator 10) andmay run, e.g., along the entire height extension H. This allows toprovide for a large frictional contact area, because the heightdimension H of the oscillation resonator 10 may have a similar size thanthe width dimension W (which would not be the case in plate-likeresonators for 2D wave generation). The large contact area reduces theissue of force fluctuations due to surface roughness and dust, whichrepresents a major drawback of conventional plate-shaped 2D waveoscillation resonators. Further, the wear of the driver member 40 mayalso be reduced by this implementation.

According to one embodiment, the oscillation resonator 10 comprises onemonolithic piezoelectric stack reaching through the dividing plane 15and providing both for the electromechanical means of the firstresonator portion 10A and the electromechanical means of the secondresonator portion 10B.

In another embodiment, as is, for example, depicted in FIG. 1, twopiezoelectric stacks 20 are provided which are interconnected by a plate30. A central plane of the plate 30 may be coplanar with the dividingplane 15. By way of example, the plate 30 may be a thin plate of, e.g.,ceramic or metal to which the two piezoelectric stacks 20 are glued atboth sides. The plate 30 may be cut in a shape substantially that of theH and/or W dimensions of the oscillation resonator 10.

If a plate 30 is used between the two piezoelectric stacks 20 (or, moregenerally, the electromechanical means), the driver member 40 may be anintegral part of the plate 30. In other words, the plate 30 may bedesigned so as to have the driver member 40 protruding out of a lateralsurface of the oscillation resonator 10 at, e.g., a locationintersecting the dividing plane 15. This implementation has theadvantage of making the driver member 40 (friction element) of anydesired shape and also to make it very robust since it is part of theplate 30 which is secured, e.g. glued, to a large area (e.g. the crosssectional area of the rod).

Such oscillation resonator 10 is still rather easy to manufacture,because it may simply be made of two commercially availablepiezoelectric stacks 20 glued to one central plate 30 shaped to includethe driver member 40.

The oscillation resonator 10 may further comprise two endplates 50A, 50Bwhich may, e.g., be made of any of the materials mentioned before inrelation to the plate 30. The end plates 50A, 50B may have the same H×Wdimensions as the first and/or second resonator portions 10A, 10B. Eachend plate 50A, 50B may be equipped with a bearing element 51 located,e.g., at the center of an end surface 52 of the end plate 50A, 50B. Byway of example, the bearing elements 51 may be depressions provided inthe end surface 52 configured to engage with protrusions of a mount (notshown) to suspend the oscillation resonator 10 in a freely rotatablecondition.

The oscillation resonator 10 may be of arbitrary cross-section with,e.g., rotational symmetry (e.g. D_(∞h) linear with inversion center).The oscillation resonator 10 may also be hollow or annular in crosssection. That is, the oscillation resonator 10 may be equipped with athrough hole extending axially through the length L of the oscillationresonator 10. By way of example, the through hole may represent a pipefor transporting a fluid through the oscillator resonator 10 or mayallow a shaft protruding into or running through the through hole toprovide for a pivot bearing.

The piezoelectric stacks 20 may be multilayer piezoelectric elementscomposed of electrode layers 60 and piezoelectric material layers 70arranged in an alternating order. The piezoelectric material layers 70may have a polarization vector having a component extending in thedirection of the axis X. In particular, the polarization vector mayextend in the direction of the axis X. The electrode layers 60 and thepiezoelectric material layers 70 may, e.g., be oriented normal to theaxis X, but it is also possible that the electrode layers 60 and thepiezoelectric material layers 70 are oriented inclined to the axis X.

Rather than having a square cross-sectional shape, the oscillationresonator 10 as well as the first and/or second portions 10A, 10Bthereof may have a any arbitrary cross section of a rod, e.g. across-sectional shape of a regular or approximately regular polygon. Aregular polygon is a polygon with side faces of equal dimensions.

By way of example, L=20 mm within a range of, e.g., ±15, ±10, or ±5 mm.Further, each of W and H may be equal to 10 mm, within, e.g., a range of±8 mm, ±5 mm, or ±3 mm. In the following, if not noted otherwise,without loss of generality, L=20 mm, W=W1=W2=10 mm and H=H1=H2=10 mm areused for purpose of example.

FIG. 2 illustrates an electromechanical actuator 100′. Electromechanicalactuator 100′ may be identical in all features to electromechanicalactuator 100 except that the rod-shaped oscillation resonator 10 has acylindrical shape rather than a square cross-sectional shape. Thecylindrical shape may also apply to the plate 30. The plate 30 may beequipped with an integral driver member (frictional element) 40 whichmay, e.g., partially or completely surround the circumference of thecylindrical oscillation resonator 10. Again, a central plane of theplate 30 may be coplanar with the dividing plane 15, which may be asymmetry plane of the oscillation resonator 10.

It is to be noted that the driver member 40 is not mandatory for theoscillation resonator 10. Instead of using a driver member 40 totransfer a component of vibrational motion to an object, it is alsopossible that, e.g., a part or the entire circumferential surface of theoscillation resonator 10 may be used to move an object, e.g. a fluidsuch as, e.g., a liquid or a gas. As will be described in more detailfurther below, the oscillation resonator 10 may operate in a “breathing”mode in which a 3-dimensional bulk standing wave, which may be radiallysymmetric in any cross-section normal to the axis X, may be generated.This “breathing” of the oscillation resonator 10, which does not haveany equivalent in a 2-dimensional plate oscillation resonator, may,e.g., be exploited for fluid transport operation in a micropump, as willbe explained further below in more detail.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the electrode multilayer structure ofthe oscillation resonator 10 and a control unit used to activate theoscillation resonator 10.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the first piezoelectric stack 20 of thefirst resonator portion 10A and the second piezoelectric stack 20 of thesecond resonator portion 10B may, e.g., be established by one singlemonolithic piezoelectric stack. This piezoelectric stack comprises afirst group of electrode layers 60_1, which are referred to as commonelectrodes because they are electrically interconnected by a commonconductor 64 and are arranged both in the first resonator portion 10Aand the second resonator portion 10B. Further, the oscillation resonator10 comprises a left second group of electrodes 60_2B and a right secondgroup of electrodes 60_2A. These electrodes are referred to asexcitation electrodes as they are configured to selectively activateeither the first resonator portion 10A or the second resonator portion10B. More specifically, the excitation electrodes established by theright second group of electrode layers 60_2A are electricallyinterconnected by a first conductor 65A and the excitation electrodesestablished by the left second group of electrode layers 60_2B areelectrically interconnected by a second conductor 65B. The right secondgroup of electrode layers 60_2A and the left second group of electrodelayers 60_2B are electrically separated from each other. The first groupof electrode layers 60_1, i.e. the common electrodes, and the right andleft second group of electrode layers 60_2A, 60_2B, i.e. the excitationelectrodes, are interlaced, that is, e.g., excitation electrodes andcommon electrodes are arranged in alternating order. The piezoelectricmaterial layers 70 are arranged between these electrode layers 60, thatis each piezoelectric material layer 70 may be sandwiched between oneexcitation electrode layer 60_2A or 60_2B and one common electrode layer60_1.

A control unit to activate the oscillation resonator 10 may comprise analternating voltage generator 80 and, optionally, a selector switch 85.The alternating voltage generator 80 is configured to generate analternating voltage of frequency f between terminals 81 and 82. Terminal81 may be coupled to the common conductor 64 and thus to first group ofelectrode layers 60_1 (common electrodes). The second terminal 82 may becoupled to an input of the selector switch 85. Selector switch 85, ifswitched to the left position (L), connects second terminal 82 to theleft second group of electrode layers 60_2B and, if switched to theright position (R), connects second terminal 82 to the right secondgroup of electrode layers 60_2A. Thus, the selector switch controls thetiming of the activation of the first and second resonator portions 10Aand 10B, respectively. If only one resonator portion 10A or 10B isequipped with electromechanical means, a disconnecting switch ratherthan a selector switch may be used.

As already mentioned, the oscillation resonator 10 may be equipped withtwo separate piezoelectric stacks 20 separated by, e.g., plate 30. Inthis case, the circuitry is similar to the circuitry illustration ofFIG. 3, i.e. the common electrodes of the two piezoelectric stacks 20are interconnected via the common conductor 64 and the excitationelectrodes of the two piezoelectric stacks 20 are electrically separatedand individually controllable.

The alternating voltage generator may, e.g., bean autogenerator. Anautogenerator may comprise a feedback loop configured to automaticallyadjust the frequency f of the alternating voltage generator 80 to theresonance frequency of the oscillation resonator 10. In this case, theoscillation resonator 10 creates its own oscillation frequency as willbe described further below (see FIGS. 7 and 8). An impedance lockingfeedback mode may serve to stabilize the frequency f of the alternatingvoltage generator 80 at resonance.

FIG. 4A illustrates the 3D asymmetrical vibrational resonance mode ofthe oscillation resonator 10 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B illustratesthe 3D asymmetrical vibrational resonance mode of the oscillationresonator 10 shown in FIG. 2. In FIGS. 4A and 4B, always the firstresonator portion 10A (in FIGS. 4A, 4B the left hand portion) isactivated. The deformation amplitudes are exaggerated for purpose ofillustration.

At state a the first resonator portion 10A (in FIGS. 4A, 4B the lefthand portion) is activated.

The first resonator portion 10A then dilates in axial direction and, atthe same time, contracts in radial direction—it “breathes out” (seestate b). Concurrently, the second resonator portion 10B “breathes in”.

At state c the resonator 10 oscillates through the undeformed state.

At state d the first resonator portion 10B contracts in axial directionand, at the same time, dilates in radial direction—it “breathes in”.Concurrently, the second resonator portion 10B “breathes out”.

Then, the process advances through states c and b back to the undeformedstate a.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in any of the cross-sections of theoscillation resonator 10 the elastic 3D (bulk) standing wave manifestsitself by a periodic breathing. That is, the radial distribution of theoscillation resonator 10 material in a given cross-section normal to theX axis increases (or decreases) everywhere during the first half periodand decreases (increases) everywhere during the second half period. Thisis the attribute that may make the wave radially symmetric, i.e. thecross-section deforms in an isotropic way that looks like “breathing”.This bulk or “breathing” wave sloshes in the oscillation resonator 10back and forth along the longitudinal direction of the oscillationresonator 10 at the resonance frequency of the “breathing” mode.

It is to be noted that in the 3D wave mode any dimension L, W and H is aresonance dimension, whereas in a 2D wave mode, the dimension normal tothe main surface of the plate-shaped 2D resonator is not a resonancedimension. As all dimensions and thus all bulk material participate inthe resonance mode, a strong and robust resonance with a comparativelylarge amplitude may be obtained.

Further differences to the 2D resonance mode will be explained below inconjunction with FIGS. 10 to 12.

FIG. 5 illustrates the relative displacement at Y in units of μm versusthe relative displacement at X in units of μm for states a, b, c and d.In FIG. 5 the left half (first resonator portion 10A) of the oscillationresonator 10 is the exciter. The impulse transfer is from left to right.While at states a, c, minimum relative displacements at X (longitudinaldirection) and Y (transversal direction) are experienced, maximumrelative displacements at X and Y are experienced at states b and d.

FIG. 6 is a similar diagram illustrating, however, the case where theright half (second resonator portion 10B) of the oscillation resonator10 is the exciter. In this case, the impulse transfer is from right toleft. Again, maximum relative displacements at X and Y are experiencedat states b and d, while minimum relative displacements at X and Y areexperienced at states a and c.

FIG. 7 illustrates the motional resonance peak of the 3D asymmetricalvibrational mode. The amplitude of the trajectory in terms of a relativetotal displacement at, e.g., X or Y is depicted as a function of thefrequency f in units of kHz. As it is apparent, resonance is obtainedat, e.g., f₀=144.2 kHz. The diagram applies for an oscillation resonator10 rod of square cross section, L=20 mm and W=H=10 mm.

FIG. 8 illustrates the impedance response of the oscillation resonator10 of FIG. 7. The relative impedance of the oscillation resonator 10 isdepicted as a function of frequency in units of kHz. As it is apparentfrom FIG. 8, the impedance resonance occurs at the same frequency f asthe motional resonance peak (FIG. 7). This behavior may be exploited toexcite the oscillation resonator 10 at resonance by using an autoresonance control unit (autogenerator) having a feedback loop locking tothe 3D asymmetrical mode impedance resonance.

FIG. 9 illustrates the evolution of the resonance frequency in units ofkHz as a function of the piezostack length L in units of mm. Again, anoscillation resonator 10 with square cross section of side length 0.5 Lis used for purpose of illustration. The shorter L, the higher is theresonance frequency f₀ obtained.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the relative displacement at the surface W-L(continuous curve) and at the surface H-L (dotted curve) in the 3D modeand the 2D mode, respectively. The diagrams are based on an oscillationresonator having the shape of a rod (FIG. 10) and on an oscillationresonator having the shape of a plate (FIG. 11). The difference betweenthe 3D mode and the 2D mode is clearly apparent from FIGS. 10 and 11. Inthe 2D mode the standing waves are radially antisymmetric. That is, inthe case of 2D standing waves, the radial distribution is not“breathing”. Instead, the material distribution increases along thewidth W and reduces along the height H during the first half period anddecreases along the width W and increases along the height H during thesecond half period. In contrast to the case of 3D waves, the crosssection deforms in an anisotropic way periodically from “tall and slim”to “short and fat”. On the other hand, as already mentioned above, 3Dmode resonant waves may produce an isotropic deformation of anycross-section of the oscillation resonator 10, see FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 illustrates the frequency in units of kHz as a function of theratio of W to H. The 2D mode resonant wave disappears completely whenthe width to high ratio W/H is equal to 1. It is very weak in thevicinity of W/H=1, indicating that the 2D mode may be used in a platebut can not practically be used in a rod with W and H having similarvalues. On the other hand, the 3D mode creating the bulk or “breathing”resonant wave only exists in the vicinity of W/H=1, e.g. in a regionwhere W and H are not different from each other by more than 15%, 10% or5%.

The bulk or “breathing” wave as created in the 3D mode is sloshing backand forth along the longitudinal axis X of the oscillation resonator 10(i.e. the rod axis) at the period of the resonance frequency f₀ of the3D mode. Actuating only one of the first or second resonator portions10A or 10B makes all the points located along the circumference of therod cross section move in oscillation. For a cylindrical rod (see FIG.2) for instance, the oscillating trajectories of all points of thecircumference of a cross-section are all contained on a portion of acone which axis is aligned to that of the rod and for which the tip (ofthe cone) is oriented opposite to the impulse transferred to a body thatwould be in frictional contact with the points of the circumference.Switching the actuation to the other half of the rod (by switching theselector switch 85) flips conversely the orientation of said cone, thusreversing the direction of operation of a device driven by theoscillating deformation of oscillation resonator 10.

Thanks to this attribute the 3D bulk wave makes it possible for theoscillation resonator 10 rod to displace a fluid unidirectionally insidea pipe extending through the center part of the resonator rod. In thesame spirit, the oscillation resonator 10 rod could be used to displacea fluid around its moving circumference. That is, the oscillationresonator 10 rod may be used as a pump or propulsion unit to transfer afluid from left to right or right to left along the axis of the rod byexploiting inner or peripheral deformation of the rod. It is to be notedthat such operation would not be possible with a 2D wave, see FIG. 11.In conclusion, the bulk “breathing” wave created by the 3D asymmetricvibrational mode is very different from the “tall and slim” to “shortand fat” wave created by a 2D asymmetrical vibrational mode.

The oscillation resonator 10 may be used as a driver or propulsion unitof an inertial motor. Inertial motors are used, e.g., as micromotors inmany applications.

FIG. 13 illustrates the fundamental principle of an electromechanicalactuator 200 designed as an inertial motor. A deformable body 210, e.g.the oscillation resonator 10, is attached to a fixed base part or frame220. A driver member 230 is mechanically coupled to the deformable body210. The tip 231 of the driver member 230 may be pressed into frictionalcontact with a frictional surface 251 of a slider 250. The slider 250may be suspended on a bearing 252 to be linearly movable in the leftand/or right direction relative to a slider frame 253.

When the deformable body 210 is actuated into a motional oscillationalong the arrow 232 at a sufficiently high frequency, the tip 231periodically engages and disengages from the frictional surface 251 ofthe slider 250. Under the effect of the periodic frictionalengagement/disengagement of the tip 231 through the periodic motionaloscillation of the actuated deformable body 210, the frictional surface251 and thus the slider 250 obtains a continuous motion. The periodicaldisengagement of the tip 231 from the frictional surface 251 is due tothe much larger inertia of the slider 250 and base part 220 compared toinertia of the deformable body 210 and the driver member 230. In thissituation the tip 231 periodically transfers an impulse to the slider250 and the slider 250 will move if it experiences a component ofimpulse along its sliding axis (in

FIG. 13 in the horizontal direction). The direction of motion depends onthe sign of the angle between the sliding axis and the arrow 232indicating the direction of vibrational movement of the driver member230.

FIG. 14 illustrates the force, frequency, velocity and time quantitiesinvolved in the operation of the electromechanical actuator 200. Fdenotes the pressure force acting between the slider 250 and the basepart 220. The deformable body 210 is oscillating in time t in the samedirection as the applied force F. The driver member 230, which ismechanically connected to the deformable body 210, may be configured tomove in a direction 232 oblige to the direction of the applied force F.The frequency of the 3D asymmetric vibrational standing wave generatedin the deformable body 210 is denoted by f_(3Dwave). As shown in FIG.14, the slider 250 is moved in the right direction with a velocity v.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary electromechanical actuator 300. Theoscillation resonator 10 used as the deformable body 210 is mounted tothe base part 220 which may, e.g., comprise a plate 221 and a U-shapedpart 222 attached to the plate 221. The oscillation resonator 10 may bemounted via a mount 310 to the base part 220, e.g. to the U-shaped part222 thereof. The mount 310 may be configured to mount the oscillationresonator 10 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the oscillationresonator 10 rod relative to the base part 220. Byway of example, themount 310 may be implemented by pins fixed to the flanges of theU-shaped part 220 and inserted into the bearing elements 51 formed,e.g., by receive spheres disposed in the end surfaces 52 of the endplates 50A, 50B.

As shown in FIG. 15, the driver member 230 of FIGS. 13, 14 may beimplemented by the driver member 40 which may be formed by a peripheralzone of the “dead” plate 30 protruding out of the surface of theoscillation resonator 10. The tip 231 of the driver member 230 (seeFIGS. 14, 15) may be implemented by a rounded edge region of the drivermember 40.

FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate further electromechanical actuators 300′ and300″, respectively, which are similar to electromechanical actuator 300.All details described in relation to any of the actuators 300, 300′ and300″ can be interchanged and combined, unless stated otherwise.

The frictional surface 251 of the slider 250 may be designed to bespring-loaded. By way of example, the frictional surface 251 may extendalong a strip of a leaf spring 350.

The spring load, e.g. provided by leaf spring 350, may be configured topress the frictional surface 251 against the driver member 40. On theother hand, as the oscillation resonator 10 can rotate along itlongitudinal axis, this degree of freedom allows the driver member 40 toautomatically align with the frictional surface 251 of the slider 250.This positional self-alignment between the frictional surface 251 andthe rotational orientation of the driver member 40 is an advantage inmanufacturing cost and reliability. In particular, the controllabilityof the movement operation significantly increases and uneven wear at thefrictional contact and misadjustment over time decreases. The positionalself-alignment diminishes the manufacturing tolerances and hence theproduction costs. It is to be noted that a conventional 2D wave plateresonator would not allow for self-alignment of a driver member with afriction surface.

Various different implementations are possible. The electromechanicalactuator 300′ of FIG. 16 exemplifies an implementation in which the basepart 220 to which the oscillation resonator 10 is mounted may sliderelative to a fixed frame to which the frictional surface 251 is fixedlymounted. In this case, the “slider” 250 may be considered to represent astationary frame and the “base part” 220 may be considered to be movablerelative to the frame the slider. The electromechanical actuator 300″ ofFIG. 17 exemplifies an implementation in which either the base part 220or the slider 250 may be stationary (i.e. a fixed frame) and the otherof these parts may be designed to move relatively to the fixed part,i.e. as a “slider”.

Further, it is to be noted that the frictional surface 251 may bestraight or rounded. If rounded, the vibrational deformation of theoscillation resonator 10 translates into a rotational movement.Generally speaking, the 3D wave deformable oscillation resonator 10 maybe used as a propulsion unit for linear movement or rotational movement.Directional movement may be caused by the symmetry breaking associatedwith the generation of an asymmetric bulk wave. By way of example, arotator (not shown) having a full-perimeter frictional surface 251 maybe used instead of the slider 250. The direction of rotation may, e.g.,be reversed by operating the selection switch 85.

EXAMPLES

Example 1 of the disclosure relates to an electromechanical actuator,comprising: an oscillation resonator having the shape of a rod, theoscillation resonator being divided by a dividing plane that is notparallel to the longitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator intoa first resonator portion and a second resonator portion, wherein atleast the first resonator portion comprises electromechanical meanswhich, when activated, are configured to generate a 3-dimensionalacoustic bulk wave with a mode shape asymmetric with respect to thedividing plane.

Example 2 relates to the subject matter of example 1, wherein the secondresonator portion also comprises electromechanical means, and theelectromechanical means of the first and second resonator portions areconfigured to be activated independently from each other.

Example 3 relates to the subject matter of example 1 or 2, wherein the3-dimensional bulk wave is radially symmetric in any cross sectionnormal to the longitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator.

Example 4 relates to the subject matter of one of the precedingexamples, wherein the rod-shaped oscillation resonator is of a crosssection which is nearly or completely a circular disc or a regularpolygon, in particular a square.

Example 5 relates to the subject matter of one of the precedingexamples, wherein the oscillation resonator has a length L, a firstlateral dimension W and a second lateral dimension H in a directionperpendicular to the first lateral dimension W, and wherein the firstlateral dimension W and the second lateral dimension H are differentfrom each other by equal to or less than 15%, 10%, 5% or 0%.

Example 6 relates to the subject matter of one of the precedingexamples, wherein the oscillation resonator has a length L, a firstlateral dimension W and a second lateral dimension H in a directionperpendicular to the first lateral dimension W, and wherein L isdifferent from W+H by equal to or less than 30%, 15%, 10%, 5% or 0%.

Example 7 relates to the subject matter of one of the precedingexamples, wherein the first resonator portion has a length L1, a firstlateral dimension W1 and a second lateral dimension H1 in a directionperpendicular to the first lateral dimension W1, the second resonatorportion has a length L2, a first lateral dimension W2 and a secondlateral dimension H2 in a direction perpendicular to the first lateraldimension W2, and L1, L2 and/or W1, W2 and/or H1, H2 are different fromeach other by equal to or less than 30%, 15%, 10%, 5% or 0%.

Example 8 relates to the subject matter of one of the precedingexamples, wherein the electromechanical means of the first resonatorportion comprises a first piezoelectric stack having first electrodelayers and first piezoelectric layers disposed therebetween, and apolarization vector of a first piezoelectric layer has a componentextending in the longitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator.

Example 9 relates to the subject matter of example 8, wherein theoscillation resonator, when activating the first piezoelectric stacks ina non-oscillating condition, is configured to generate a controllablenon-oscillating displacement of the first resonator portion in thelongitudinal direction of the oscillating resonator.

Example 10 relates to the subject matter of one of the examples 8 or 9,wherein the electromechanical means of the second resonator portioncomprises a second piezoelectric stack having second electrode layersand second piezoelectric layers disposed therebetween, a polarizationvector of a second piezoelectric layer has a component extending in thelongitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator, the electrodelayers of the first piezoelectric stack and the electrode layers of thesecond piezoelectric stack each comprise a first group of electrodelayers and a second group of electrode layers, the electrode layers ofthe first group and the second group are interlaced, the electrodelayers of the first groups are electrically interconnected and theelectrode layers of the second groups are electrically separated andconfigured to be individually excited.

Example 11 relates to the subject matter of one of the precedingexamples, further comprising: a driver member mechanically coupled tothe oscillation resonator; and a slider or rotator configured to bemoved by the driver member when the oscillation resonator is excited.

Example 12 relates to the subject matter of example 11, wherein thedriver member is configured to engage with a friction surface of theslider or rotator via a frictional contact.

Example 13 relates to the subject matter of example 12, wherein thefriction surface of the slider or rotator is spring loaded to controlthe frictional contact between the driver member and the frictionsurface.

Example 14 relates to the subject matter of one of examples 11 to 13,further comprising: a base part, and a mount for mounting theoscillation resonator to the base part, wherein the mount is configuredto bear the oscillation resonator so as to be rotatable around an axisof the rod relative to the base part.

Example 15 of the disclosure relates to a method of moving an objectrelative to a base part, the method comprises: providing an oscillationresonator having the shape of a rod, the oscillation resonator beingdivided by a dividing plane that is not parallel to the longitudinaldirection of the oscillation resonator into a first resonator portionand a second resonator portion, wherein at least the first resonatorportion comprises electromechanical means; and activating theelectromechanical means so as to generate a 3-dimensional acoustic bulkwave with a mode shape asymmetric with respect to the dividing plane.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may besubstituted for the specific embodiments shown and described withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. This application isintended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specificembodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is intended that thisinvention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1. An electromechanical actuator, comprising: a base part; an oscillation resonator having the shape of a rod; a mount for mounting the oscillation resonator to the base part, wherein the mount is configured to bear the oscillation resonator so as to be rotatable around an axis of the oscillation resonator rod relative to the base part; a driver member mechanically coupled to the oscillation resonator; and a slider or a rotator configured to be moved by the driver member when the oscillation resonator is excited.
 2. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the driver member is configured to engage with a friction surface of the slider or the rotator via a frictional contact.
 3. The electromechanical actuator of claim 2, wherein the friction surface of the slider or the rotator is spring loaded to control the frictional contact between the driver member and the friction surface.
 4. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein a pressure force is acting between the slider or the rotator and the base part.
 5. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the slider is suspended on a bearing to be linearly movable in one or both of the left and right direction relative to a slider frame.
 6. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the base part comprises a plate and a U-shaped part attached to the plate.
 7. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein a spring load is configured to press a frictional surface of the slider or the rotor against the driver member.
 8. The electromechanical actuator of claim 7, wherein the frictional surface of the slider extends along a strip of a leaf spring.
 9. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the oscillation resonator is configured to rotate around its longitudinal axis.
 10. The electromechanical actuator of claim 9, wherein the rotation around its longitudinal axis allows the driver member to automatically align with the frictional surface of the slider.
 11. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the driver member is formed by a peripheral zone of a plate protruding out of a surface of the oscillation resonator.
 12. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the base part is stationary and the slider is designed to move relatively to the stationary base part.
 13. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the slider is stationary and the base part is designed to move relatively to the stationary slider.
 14. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the oscillation resonator is a 3D acoustic wave oscillation resonator used as a propulsion unit for linear movement or a rotational movement.
 15. The electromechanical actuator of claim 1, wherein the oscillation resonator is an oscillation resonator having the shape of a rod, the oscillation resonator being divided by a dividing plane that is not parallel to the longitudinal direction of the oscillation resonator into a first resonator portion and a second resonator portion, wherein at least the first resonator portion comprises electromechanical means which, when activated, are configured to generate a 3-dimensional acoustic bulk wave with a mode shape asymmetric with respect to the dividing plane. 